PD335 - POST-ICU SURVIVORS RECEIVING EXCLUSIVELY ENTERAL NUTRITION: A HIGH BURDEN OF DIARRHEA

PD335

POST-ICU SURVIVORS RECEIVING EXCLUSIVELY ENTERAL NUTRITION: A HIGH BURDEN OF DIARRHEA

M. Aerts^1,2,3,4,*, Z. Rosseel^2,3,5, E. De Waele^2,3,4

¹Department of Gastroenterology , ²Department of Clinical Nutrition, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, ³Vitality Research Group, ⁴Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, ⁵Department of Pharmacy, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Jette, Belgium

Rationale: Survivors of critical illness are a nutritionally vulnerable population with low feeding adequacy (1), increased metabolic demands and often impaired gastrointestinal function. Enteral nutrition (EN) is recommended to support recovery, however, gastrointestinal intolerance, particularly diarrhea, may compromise its effectiveness and thereby patient outcomes. This study evaluates the prevalence of diarrhea in post-ICU patients receiving solely EN.

Methods: Patients with an ICU stay ≥7 followed by a ward stay of ≥3 days and receiving solely EN were selected as a study within a trial (SWAT) within the BRIGHT SIDE study (NCT06023251) and the STICKY STUDY (NCT06923813). The aim of this substudy  was the occurrence of diarrhea and/or very loose stools after ICU discharge. Basic characteristics were reported using descriptive statistics.

Results: Of the total cohort (n=102), 21 patients (21%) received exclusive EN post-ICU.  Among these, 7 were female and 14 male, with a mean age of 62 (SD = 12,8) years and a mean BMI of 26.9 (SD 5,2) kg/m². Of the patients on exclusive EN, 14 (67%) experienced diarrhea and/or very loose stools.

Conclusion: A considerable proportion of ICU survivors exclusively on EN experience diarrhea, which highlights a substantial prevalence of gastrointestinal intolerance in this subgroup potentially compromising nutritional delivery, absorption and thereby recovery. These findings underscore the need for increased awareness, monitoring, and tailored nutritional strategies in the post-ICU phase. Further research is warranted to identify underlying mechanisms and optimize EN tolerance in this high-risk population.

References: Rosseel et al. Towards optimised nutrition therapy after critical illness: a position statement and research framework by the global research initiative on post-intensive care nutrition (GRIP) consortium. Critical Care (2025) 29:460

Disclosure of Interest: None declared